There are numerous medical specialties stretched across the entire spectrum of modern healthcare. Podiatry is one such specialty. Patients tend to seek out podiatry services when their primary care physicians are unable to help them feel any better. For many patients, this begs a simple question: why?
What is it about podiatry services that make them so different from primary care? Why can a podiatrist help when a GP seems at a loss? It is all about specialty. We have specialties in medicine because the body is so complex.
Primary Care Is Internal Medicine
The starting point for understanding the differences between primary care and podiatry services is the nature of primary care itself. As a specialty, primary care is considered internal medicine. GPs need to know the basics of an awful lot of conditions, diseases, and injuries. But because they must possess such broad-based knowledge, they cannot focus on the details of any particular condition.
Internal medicine is very broad. Other specialties are more specific. For example, podiatry focuses on the feet and ankles. Cardiology focuses on the heart, oncology is all about cancer, and so forth. This should give you some clue as to why podiatry services can help when primary care cannot.
Foot and Ankle Expertise
Podiatrists are foot and ankle experts. So are orthopedic surgeons. When a patient takes advantage of podiatry services, they are working with a medical provider with advanced expertise her primary care provider lacks. This expertise allows the podiatrist to:
- Perform more acute foot and ankle treatments.
- Diagnose a wider range of foot and ankle problems.
- Address the most complex conditions.
- Offer advanced and alternative treatments.
The expertise a podiatrist brings to the table is a game changer. But this is true of any specialty. Where primary care deals with the most common illnesses and conditions, specialists address more complex issues by delving into the details.
Advanced Medical Procedures
In fairness to primary care physicians, they often make recommendations to clinics like ours in hopes of helping their patients access advanced medical procedures. For example, a primary care physician may be quite familiar with a particular surgical intervention. They know it is just what the patient needs, yet they cannot perform it. So, they refer the patient to a podiatrist.
Some of the advanced medical procedures podiatrists recommend are not considered conservative or conventional. Many of them are quite complex. But again, this isn’t limited to podiatry services. It is common to all medical specialties that go above and beyond what primary care can provide.
Better Patient Outcomes
None of this is intended to be a criticism of primary care or GPs. On the contrary, primary care providers play a valuable role in modern healthcare. The point of any specialty, including podiatry, is to take some of the load so that GPs don’t have to handle everything themselves. Ultimately, the goal is better patient outcomes.
Podiatry services offer more targeted and efficient treatments for specific foot and ankle conditions. Because the treatments are targeted and more efficient, they tend to lead to faster improvements and fewer complications. Patients start feeling better sooner, they heal faster, and their outcomes are improved.
Continuity of care is another big advantage of medical specialty. Specifically where podiatry is concerned, ongoing care for chronic conditions means the best possible outcome for patients.
Primary care providers do magnificent work. Yet they are not trained to manage specific issues with the feet and ankles. Podiatrists are. So if you are in need of podiatry services, don’t be afraid to ask your GP for a referral.